Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-05-26
Burning Of a Theatre.

The Opera Comique, Paris, took fire last
evening, and the whole building was des.
troyed. Fourteen persons who jumped
from the windows were killed, and forty.
three injured. 1t is probable that many
were crushed to death in the galleries. Five
bodies terribly burned were conveyed to the
national library. Among them was the bo,
dy Of a woman clasping q little boy in her
arms. Nineteen persons are known to be
dead Many of these were supers An ar
tificial fire apparatus which had been placed
in position in readiness for the burning Of
the palace in the second act, rolled down
from its place near the roof and exploded
below Women half clad and carrying
their costumes 6ed from the stage scream
ine. Supers and members Of the chorus
were terrified. Some of the latter fled with
nothing on but tights. The flames spread
with such rapidity that in fifteen minutes
the stage was vast furnace, and several
actors escaped by climbing to the roof of the
side of the Rue Marivanta, where they were
rescued by fire escapes. NJ. Tasquin i'm.
plored the audience to.remain seated until
the exits were opened, which they did.
If they had made q rush for the
doors the loss of life would have been
terrible. The police outside were un-
able to restrain the crowd. who besieged
the building inquiring for friends inside,
until military Gordon was formed. One
man, who wanted to rescue his brother
and sister, raved and tore his hair and
menaced with a stick the people who STOP
ped him from rushing into the blazing build
ing. The scene outside was one of the wild
est excitement. Falling embers struck
horses in the surrounding streets, causing
them to plunge and rear Flames shot out
of every window, forcing the crowd into
the narrow streets, where the crush was
terrific. There were $50 persons on the
stage when the fire broke out. The killed
include four firemen. There was not a
frantic rush in the theatre, but it is believed
that the staircase became blocked. The
FIRE broke out during the first act OF the
opera, "1Iignon." One of the wings caught
from gas jet, and the entire stage was i'm
medately enveloped in flames. The fire
soon spread to the whole house. The roof
soon fell in, sending showers of sparks as
far as the Place de la Boursc. With the ex.
ception Of Madame Seller, who perished in
the flames, all the actors escaped, though
several of the supernumeries were injured
severely. The iron curtain was lowered in
front of the stage, and this prevented the fire
from spreading Immediately TO the audito-
rum, and allowed the audience time to es-
cape. The men who carried away the money
chest report that when they left the audi
torium was quite empty. The fire brigade
distinguished themselves, and many Of them
had narrow escapes. Most of the casualties
so far reported were due to nervousness.
Many persons who were unable to trust
themselves to walk the narrow ledge of the
cornice round the building jumped off in
their terror. One woman coolly walked all
round the cornice, while the flames were
bursting above, until she reached fire es-
cape. The victims were almost all singers.
The streets in the vicinity of the burned
theatre were crowded until an early hour
this morning. The total number of persons
known to have been killed and injured is
sixty.seven. The building was entirely de-
stroyed, and it is as yet impossible to say
how many bodies are buried beneath the
ruins. Only fortnight ago NJ. Steenackers
called attention in the chamber Of deputies
20 the dangerous condition of the Opera
Comique, which was the Oldest theatre in
Paris. The Figaro also called attention 10
the same thing after.the recent. .twelve-hour
henefit performance.